Welcome to the Real World
by SomewhereBeyondReality
Summary: "You're coping better than I did when I first started. Honestly if Chandler hadn't moved in across the hall I'd have gone crazy." Rachel adjusts to the real world and Monica remembers surviving on her own and who helped her. Monica/Rachel friendship. Monica/Chandler friendship. Premondler. Early Season 1.


**Title:** Welcome to the Real World  
**Author**: SomewhereBeyondReality  
**Rating**: K  
**Summary:** _"__You're coping better than I did when I first started. Honestly if Chandler hadn't moved in across the hall I'd have gone crazy." _Rachel adjusts to the real world and Monica remembers surviving on her own and who helped her. Monica/Rachel friendship. Monica/Chandler friendship. Premondler. Early Season 1.  
**Disclaimer:** Hi Marta Kauffmen here, I got sick of writing for millions of viewers and making a fortune so turned to fanfiction. Hope you enjoy!  
**A/N:** I have this weird obsession with premondler history and how they first became friends. The show's timeline is sketchy: We know that pre-series Monica's grandmother passed Apartment 20 onto her, Monica tipped Chandler off about Apartment 19, and Phoebe and Kip became their respective roommates. What we don't know is _when_ Chandler moved in. Did he or Phoebe come first? I always like to imagine Chandler moved in only a short while after Monica (they probably finished their degrees around the same time) and they were on their own for a bit before Phoebe and Kip arrived. Somehow the idea of them establishing the 'base' of the group and for a short period, only having each other to depend on is really sweet. I thought Monica comforting Rachel about surviving on her own was a good premise for exploring that history. We see Monica supporting Rachel a lot in the first season, and I wondered who supported Monica and Chandler when they first entered the real world.

**X-X**

Rachel stumbled into the apartment to find a Spanish soap opera playing on TV and Monica and Chandler curled up on the sofa. Her friends waved at her without turning around. Monica's head was resting on Chandler shoulder, which a few days ago she'd have found weird but she's learnt that none of the gang, particularly Monica and Chandler, have a sense of personal space.

She threw off her coat and collapsed into the armchair causing Chandler and Monica to look at her enquiringly.

"What's wrong?" Monica asked.

Rachel groaned, burying her face in her hands at the question. "Oh I don't know: My job. Life. The universe. I can't do this real world thing, it's too hard! Four people spilled coffee on me today. _Four! _Do those damn aprons cover _anything_ up?"

Monica smiled sympathetically. "Oh sweetie, it will be ok."

"Yeah." Chandler agreed. "You'll get a grip on that coffee business in no time."

"That's easy for you two to say!" Rachel complained, looking at them through her fingers. "With your proper jobs and real pay and grown up apartments. You've got it all figured out!"

Monica and Chandler looked at her, then at each other and laughed. Rachel stared at them. She loved Monica, and was grateful to her taking her in but her weird friends and their almost telepathic connection was confusing.

"What? _What?" _

"Seriously?" Chandler said. "You think we've got it figured out? I'm working what was meant to be a temp job that I think about quitting...well pretty much every hour."

"And I spend my free time dating losers who lie to me, while my mother moans about me getting married." Monica said. "Chandler can tell you how 'figured out' my personal life is."

Chandler opened his mouth, and Monica poked him. "I said _can _tell you not will tell you mister." She snipped warningly.

"Alright Mon." He rolled his eyes, glancing at the door. "Anyway, I'd better go. I think I hear Joey choking on peanuts again."

He untangled himself from Monica and left, shooting Rachel a comforting smile. Monica looked at Rachel, eyes furrowing with concern.

"You ok?"

Rachel smiled at her ex-come-new best friend, feeling a little better. "I guess. It's all so scary you know? I mean one minute I was engaged, my life was sorted, and now...I don't know what the hell I'm doing!"

"Believe me I know. And if its helps, you're coping better than I did when I first started." Monica said. "I was a wreck the first week I moved in here."

"Really?"

"Of course! I was on my own. I was working my first job, I didn't have a roommate, I didn't know many people and Ross was busy with Carol. It was scary. If Chandler hadn't moved in across the hall I'd have gone crazy."

At her friend's words Rachel remembered another confusing thing about Monica and her witty but irritating friend. The last time she'd seen Monica and Chandler together Chandler had called her fat, Monica had cut off his toe and they could barely look at each other.

After that Thanksgiving Rachel and Monica had drifted apart with Monica at Culinary School and her attending and failing college. Apart from their meeting in the bar they hadn't kept in touch.

Even so, she hadn't expected to come back and find Monica and Chandler best friends, snuggling up watching Spanish soap operas. She wondered what had happened.

"Hey, um what's happened between you and Chandler?" She asked cautiously. "The last thing I remember was that Thanksgiving incident. But now you guys seem super close. It's a big change isn't it?"

Monica blushed at the question, looking embarrassed. "Please don't bring up Thanksgiving."

"Why? Chandler isn't still mad is he? He doesn't seem the type."

"No. He isn't. But we both want to forget about the whole thing." Monica said, quickly changing the subject. "And I don't know how we got so close. At that last Thanksgiving we hung out a lot: He was stuck in bed with his um, toe injury and I brought him food and we got talking. Afterwards I'd sometimes visit NYU at weekends, but of course Ross was always off with Carol, so we were sort of thrown together. And he came back for the next Thanksgiving as well. So we were kind of friends but not really close. Then just before the guys graduated I finished culinary school. I got my job and Nana let me sublet this place. I was only here a few weeks before Chandler said he was looking for an apartment and luckily I found out the one opposite was available. So I tipped him off, and he moved in. And believe me, we were just as confused and screwed up then as you feel now."

Monica paused, and Rachel nodded at her to carry on, curious to hear about her life in their lost years. She'd realized now how much she'd missed their friendship and Monica had done so _much. _Finishing culinary school, moving to the city, getting a job, befriending former enemies, trying this 'real life' thing...

"I remember the first day Chandler moved in." Monica continued. "I was helping him unpack his boxes –"

"Of course you were."

"– But I'd been talking to my mom and well...you know how most conversations with her go: You're never going to get married, you can't do it on your own blah blah."

Rachel nodded again, she'd spent her childhood watching Judy Geller criticize Monica.

"So I was kind of upset." Monica continued. "I tried not to show it, but Chandler realized and in his usual annoying way he got it out of me. He was really sweet, he gave me a hug and some awkward advice, brought over some beer, and I got out the ice cream. We stayed up all night talking about our crappy childhoods."

"He had a crappy childhood too?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Really what happened?" Rachel asked, feeling inquisitive.

"The usual stuff." Monica said. "Divorce, his parents ignoring him, shipped off to boarding school, family embarrassment. Some other, more Chandler-unique things that you'll hear about through his jokes. But he understands where I'm coming from with my Mom. I guess after that night we just got really close. We hadn't met Joey and Phoebe yet, and Ross was busy rubbing in how _he_ had his life all figured out, with his wife and PHD. We were just normal, confused twenty something's. We didn't have an idea in hell of what to do, so all we had was each other."

"And your ice cream and beer."

"Of course, those night became a regular thing. And we played pool in that bar you visited once, watched Spanish soap operas, sometimes I made him watch my mushy movies which despite what he'll claim he did enjoy. I don't know what I'd have done without him."

"Then what happened?"

"After a month or two we figured out that paying rent wasn't as easy as it looked and got roommates. That's when Phoebe moved in."

"And Joey moved in with Chandler?"

"No, he only moved in about a year ago. Chandler's first roommate was a guy called Kip. He was ok, but he never got on with us like Joey did. I think Chandler found him boring."

"And what happened to him?"

"Uh, long story, I'll tell you another time. He didn't stay around too long."

Rachel nodded, reflecting on everything Monica said. She was grateful that, when she'd failed Monica, someone else had been there. Even if that someone was a quippy, awkward, formerly obnoxious, nine and a half-toed someone. Chandler had obviously been a huge support for Monica and a big part of her life. Even if they weren't as close now, with Phoebe, Ross, her and Joey around, Rachel could tell Chandler cherished a soft spot for Monica.

Just then Chandler himself re-entered, shutting the door with a bang.

"Well." He called. "Joey's found something new to choke on."

"I told you to keep dangerous foods out of his reach." Monica scolded, frowning at him with motherly protectiveness.

"Yeah, well do you classify raisins as dangerous?"

"_Raisins_?"

"Yeah." He sat down next to her, draping his arm over the back of the couch. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Um –"

"Monica was actually telling me about when she first moved in." Rachel said quickly. "And about how great you were helping her out."

Chandler looked surprised. "I think you've got that the wrong way around. I wouldn't have survived a week without her."

"That's not true." Monica protested. "You can take care of yourself.

"Mon, if you hadn't helped me unpack all my stuff would still be in boxes. And remember on the second night you cooked me dinner, and told me to help myself to anything in the fridge...which I have yet to stop doing by the way."

"Believe me I know."

Chandler mock glared at her and she poked him playfully, making him laugh. Rachel smiled and lay back, closing her eyes their easy banter soothing her.

Monica was right: Real life was hard and scary and at times, it did suck. But if Chandler and Monica managed it together, then dammit so could she.


End file.
